What to Look For in Your Cat’s Food
Nutrition for cats is important, as a high quality diet will help keep your new pet
healthy. Just like with people, eating poorly can cause poor health and obesity, and, in animals, a
poor coat. A nutritious diet can help prevent health problems. High quality foods may cost more,
but could save you trips to the vet.
Cats are carnivores, and a species appropriate diet for these animals must be based on meat, as
they have little need of carbohydrates in their diet. Grains are in pet food because they’re cheaper
than meat products, and are needed to create kibble.
You can tell a lot about the quality of a pet food simply by looking at the list of ingredients on the side
of the bag or box.
Look for:
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Meat and fat products that are identified by species, such as “deboned salmon meal.” If the
species is not identified (i.e., ingredients include “meat”, “poultry” or “fish” products) then you
can’t be sure of the quality.
Foods with meat as the first ingredient(s), and starches lower on the list. Carnivorous animals
like cats will find foods high in meat easier to digest and absorb.
Grain free foods, when available. When grains are used, look for high quality whole grains
such as “whole brown rice.”
Whole fruits and vegetables, especially as replacement for grains in food, high up on the
ingredients list.
Organic ingredients.
Avoid:
 Foods that contain unidentified “meat,” “animal,” “poultry,” or “fish” products in their food.
 Any sort of meat by-products, especially of an indeterminate origin. By-products may contain
high quality ingredients, but can also contain parts of an animal that do not contain any
nutritional benefit (such as beaks and feathers).
 Artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives, especially BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Propyl
Gallate.
 Grain fragments.
 Corn and soy. Corn is a cost effective though non-nutritious filler that is hard for pets to digest
and a common allergen. Soy is another cheap and non-nutritious additive.
Most high quality pet foods are sold in pet supply stores, feed stores, or co-ops. Grocery stores are
generally not good sources of quality pet food.
Wet food can make a great addition to your cat’s diet. Many cats don’t drink enough water and
adding wet food to their daily routine can help keep them well hydrated. Keeping your cat well
hydrated can also help prevent lower urinary tract diseases in the future.
We provide you with a small amount of the diet we feed here and recommend you transition your
cat to the food of your choice slowly. Start with a mixture of 25% new food and 75% old food, and
over the course of five days transition to 100% new food.
Matches Made. Lives Saved. ● (425) 488-4444 ● homewardpet.org
What to Look For in Your Cat’s Food
CAT FOOD SCORE SHEET
You can use the following score sheet to help determine the relative quality of any bag of
dry cat food or can of wet cat food, based on the list of ingredients in that food.
To grade your cat’s food:
-Start with a score of 100
-For each ingredient(s) listed below, add or subtract the points indicated.
-The higher the score, the better the food.
Ingredient
Points
For each by-product listed
For each nonspecific animal source (“meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal or fat)
Contains BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin
Non-specific grain source or “mill run”
Same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients
(ie “ground brown rice”, “brewers rice” , “rice flour are all the same grain
Protein sources are not meat meal and less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients
Any artificial colorants
Contains ground corn or whole grain corn
Also if corn is listed in the first 5 ingredients
Any animal fat other than fish oils
Lamb is the only animal protein source (unless hypoallergenic)
Contains soy or soybeans
Contains wheat
Contains beef
Contains salt (NaCl)
-10
-10
-10
-5
-5
Any of the meat sources are organic
Endorsed by a nutritionist
Food is baked, not extruded
Contains probiotics
Food is grain-free
Contains fish oil
Animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free
Contains more than 2 fruits and vegetables, but less than 6
Contains flax seed oil (not the seeds)
Contains oats or oatmeal
Contains sunflower oil
For every different specific animal protein source
Contains glucosamine and chondroitin
Fruits and Vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free
+5
+5
+5
+3
+3
+2
+2
+2
+2
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
-3
-3
-3
-2
-2
-2
-2
-2
-1
-1
Generally, the cats at Homeward Pet are fed Kirkland Maintenance brand dry cat food during their stay at the
shelter, which scores 97 on the above scale. As needed, we will mix in up to 25% of similar quality food. Our
cats are fed a variety of wet foods at the shelter, including Innova (score 102), NutroMax (101) and Wellness
(94).
Cat Food Score Sheet adapted from score sheet created by Dr. Brad Evergreen, Evergreen Holistic Veterinary Care,
Inc., Monroe, WA. www.evergreenholisticvet.com, 360-794-VETS (8387), and from information from Cats Exclusive
Veterinary Clinic, Shoreline, WA, http://www.catsexclusive.com 206-546-CATS (5758). Homeward Pet Adoption
Center is providing this information as a courtesy. If you have any questions, we recommend you consult a
veterinarian or animal nutritional expert to determine the appropriate food for your individual cat.
Matches Made. Lives Saved. ● (425) 488-4444 ● homewardpet.org